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Giving

Mennonite College of Nursing

The Case for Support

As Ella retched into the pink plastic basin once again, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed from the pain and nausea, Ella's mother, Kate, was so grateful for the warm, gentle touch, and kind words being whispered into her daughter's ear. The nurse softly stroked Ella's bald head while she was sick. Kate thought to herself, "We never could make it through this illness without nurses."

Ella and Kate are not alone. On a daily basis nurses provide a soft and caring touch to patients in numerous inpatient and outpatient settings. Nurses are there for their patients, offering a compassionate touch coupled with cutting-edge, technology-based care.

Mennonite College of Nursing (MCN) graduates are known for their expertise in the field of nursing and their high level of care. We believe that innovative teaching is the key to greater impact in the health care field. Clinical simulation is integrated into the curriculum through scenarios that link education with technology along with solid teaching and learning principles.

The important work of MCN is contingent on adequate funding to keep pace with the changing health care climate. Through Redbirds Rising: The Campaign for Illinois State, the College will be able to compete for the best students, faculty and staff as well as offset the cost of preparing nurses to meet society's health care needs with care and compassion while increasing leadership in the health care field.

With your support the College can continue to excel in graduating dynamic and highly competent nursing professionals who are committed to delivering healing touch to patients, families and communities across our nation.

Redbirds Rising Campaign
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Campaign Goal:
$7.5 million

Our Impact

Mennonite College of Nursing was founded in 1919. It became Illinois State’s sixth college in 1999 and enrolls more than 750 students. Graduates earn a bachelor's degree, masters' degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner or a Nursing Administrator, or a doctoral degree as a clinical researcher, nurse-educator or nurse-leader. Graduates consistently exceed state and national averages on the licensure exams for all programs.

Campaign Funding Priorities

Redbirds Rising will enable the University to achieve three critical outcomes: supporting student and faculty scholarship, educating globally aware and socially engaged leaders, and sparking continuous creativity and innovation. To advance these priorities, maintain our standard of excellence, and grow our MCN programs we need financial support to:

Prepare nurses for the transformation of healthcare

Nursing is a rigorous major that challenges the best students, requiring precise technical skills, strong critical thinking, and the ability to adapt to a changing healthcare landscape while keeping patients' needs at the forefront. The College relies on scholarships to enroll exceptionally prepared and diverse nursing candidates. Each year scholarship applicants' total unmet financial need is more than $1.5 million, which means students take on substantial debt and are forced to juggle work and classes. Endowed scholarships, either merit- or need-based, are essential to maintaining our affordability and ability to attract talented students.

Attract and retain top faculty

There is a nationwide shortage of qualified nursing faculty. Several MCN faculty are nearing retirement; the average age of our tenured faculty is 61. Salaries in nursing education are not competitive with equivalent clinical opportunities. Endowed professorships can help the College attract and retain gifted, dedicated faculty to teach and mentor tomorrow's nurses and nursing leaders, as well as pursue innovative research and lead community health initiatives and partnerships.

Reinvent our learning spaces

Providing state-of-the-art equipment and learning spaces will allow our nursing students to experience realistic health care encounters, and practice high-risk skills in a low-risk environment. Our learning simulation lab strives to be a place of innovation and creation. Future additional space will provide better opportunities for inter-professional partnerships for a variety of nursing roles including wellness and disease prevention.

Promote a national model for nursing education

Health care is moving out of the hospital and into the community. To make the most of changing times, the College must be able to respond quickly when opportunities arise that can benefit our students and faculty while enhancing our reputation as a leader for healthier communities. Generous, ongoing support for the College's annual fund and other unrestricted resources can provide the flexibility needed to turn rapid change to our advantage.

Our health care system is facing a serious shortage of nursing professionals ready to provide fundamental care and strong leadership. Mennonite College of Nursing has the commitment and ability to meet this need, which re ects the University's core values and is pivotal to all in this nation. You can help secure the future for our College, our university, and the society we serve. Join us in supporting The Campaign for Illinois State.

Contact Us

The priorities described here represent only a small sampling of funding opportunities in every department and program within Mennonite College of Nursing. For more information about how you can support the College’s campaign priorities, contact: